Cusco, MP, SV and Amazon with Teens - What To Do?
 

We are taking our two kids, ages 14 and 17, to Peru for 10 days at the end of July. Here is our basic itinerary:

Day 1 - Arrive Lima late
Day 2&3 - Sacred Valley (Ollanta? Urabamba?)
Day 4 - Machu Picchu
Days 5-7 - Amazon
Days 8-9 - Cusco
Day 10 - Transfer to Lima and home

We want this to be a fun trip for our teens as well as for us. I am concerned that some of the places on our itinerary are a little slower-paced with little or nothing to do for teens in the evenings. In particular, is there enough to do in the Sacred Valley towns to keep them busy? Or, should we stay in Cusco and day-trip to the SV? If we do stay in SV, any advice on staying in Ollanta versus Urabamba or other places?

Many Thanks!
Dave

We had a great trip to SV in January 2006 using a private guide who many have used on this forum - he's particularly good with teenagers I understand.

His name is David Choque and his contact info is

[email protected]

Here's a link to our blog - I would highly recommend Ollanta versus Urubumba - more charming and a great selection of places to stay.

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...aca/index.html

We didn't go on an Amazon cruise so can't help you there - lots of good trip reports here though.

Happy to answer any questions.

Elizabeth_S, great blog and great pictures - thanks for sharing! I have also read from others that Ollanta would be a better choice for hotels. Based on your experience, what would you do with teens there in the evening? Any activities, night tours or other things that might be of interest to them? Of course, if we weren't taking kids we would just find a nice restaurant and then a good pub or two...

Definitely Ollanta and not Urubamba. Ollanta is very small and charming. It has a small plaza with a view of the ruins right there and the surrounding mountains. Take time to walk in the alleys of Ollanta, where you still see the town preserved as from the Inca days with Inca stonwork, doorways, small water canals running along the streets. We stayed there 2 nights and loved it. It's very peaceful and safe.

Your kids might like horseback riding to Moray, Maras and Salineras. We did a 6 hour ride booking with KB Tours office in Ollanta, and our tour just had the 2 of us plus a horse trainer and a tour guide. It was our first time riding a horse and very fun, although you have to learn how to hang onto the horse. We climb mountain trails, passing by farms and seeing mountains and river, and of ruins. It's definitely our favorite activity on the whole trip.

JC98, thanks for the feedback. We took the kids on their first horseback ride in Costa Rica and they had a great time. I will definitely look into this option.

I also read that there are white water rafting options in Peru, but I do not know whether they are convenient to the Sacred Valley area. Anyone had experience with this or other options that would be good for teens?

jax - I think there is white water rafting between Ollanta and Urubumba, if I recall correctly.

Re nighttime - not a lot of specific activities (internet cafes - that could count?!) but walking around is fun and we never thought twice about our safety. I would also add that even at their tender ages the altitude does take a lot out of you doing the day so it seems earlier than normal evenings are common!

Most of the outdoor activities start in the Sacred Valley, and it's cheaper to start from there than Cusco. The prices in Peru are a whole lot cheaper than in the U.S. for horseback riding and water rafting, etc.

Check out this hotel's tour offerings. We only booked the airport pickup from them. Click on username for my rave review of the taxi driver.
http://www.elalbergue.com/en/servicios.php

We wanted to book horseback riding too with them, but they didn't have it available. But we found KB Tours office right in the main plaza of Ollanta, and got even a better price.

See my trip report.

BTW, you don't need to stay at that hotel (El Albergue) in order to book their tours. We didn't stay there but was able to book the airport pickup. I recommend that you stay closer to the Ollanta main plaza. We stayed at Munay Tika, which was right next to a river with a view of the ruins from our room, and a short walk to the plaza. El Albergue is right next to the train station and farther from the main plaza.

When we were in Ollanta, a festival was going on, lasting late into the night. We hung out with the locals in the small main plaza watching the procession, dancing, and fireworks. The whole village was out there ooh-ing and ah-ing. They even had a big bonfire burning right in the square to keep people warm. I like the more intimate feel of the festival in this small town than in Cusco.